Half to david p



(No Model.)

T. V. PHELPS.

m4 J M jE'nj kiE- qfcurnE L/M shown in Fig. 1, with the supporter attached uiTsn STATTS PATENT Tries.

THOMAS V. PHELPS, OE WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO DAVID 1?. BROWN, OF SAME PLACE.

GARMENT-SUPPORTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 301,150, dated July 1, 1884:.

Application filed February 2, i894.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS V. PHELPS, of WVorcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain 5 new and useful Improvements in Garment- Supporters; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,formingapart of this speci- 1o fication, and in which- Figure lrepresents a front view of my aforesaid improved garment-supporter attached to the end of a piece of elastic band. Fig. 2 represents a side or edge view of the parts to the leg of so much of a stocking as is necessary to illustrate the operation of said supporter. Fig. 3 represents the supporter when spread or sprung apartto receive a portion of 2c the stocking or other garment to which it is to be attached and supported thereby; and Figs. 4 and 5 represent a front and side view, respectively, of modifications to my supporter, which will be hereinafter more fully described. 2 5 My invention relates to supporters for supporting stockings or hose,under-drawers, and other garments, by means of elastic bands or similar connections attached to the body or different places upon the clothing.

It consists in the combination of an elastic spring part made of round or other shaped wire in cross-section, and bent into the form hereinafter described, with a suitable ring for supporting and holding said spring part, and whereby the supporter may be attached to an elastic band or other part from which it may be suspended.

To enable those skilled in the art to which my invention belongs to make and use the same, I will proceed to describe it more in detail.

In the drawings, areprcsents the end' of an elasticband, to which is attached my improved supporter, consisting of the ring I) and spring part c. Said ring I) may be attached to the end of the elastic band or other part from which it may be suspended by stitching, rivets, or

, any other well-known manner. The part 0 is made by bending a single piece of wire of the proper length to form said part, first at the (No modrl.)

center to form the spring loop or eye (I, then so as to bring the two parts of said wire together in contact with each other for a short distance above saidloop or eye (1, as shown at c, then outward and inward again, to form the open ing f, straighter slightly-curved parts 9 g, and sharp bends h h, and, finally, by bending the ends of the wire to form loops or eyes i t, encircling the ring 1), whereby the spring part c is suspended from said ring, the loop parts be ing loosely fitted over the ring to admit of the contraction or expansion of the spring part c, as hereinafter more fully described. Sup posing the supporter to be in its normal contracted position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4 of the drawings, the operation of fast ening the leg of a stocking or other part in the same is performed by first spreading or expanding the spring part a, as shown in Fi 3, so as to form an opening, j, between the straight parts at c, which may be done by hand or by the operation of inserting and drawing in between said parts the part to be attached, said part being first inserted in the opening f, and then drawn down between said straight parts at c, as aforesaid, where it is held from drawing out by the resistance of the spring-loop d, before described. The

holding-power of the supporter is further facilitated by the longitudinal tension brought So to bear upon it when attached to any part to be supported in the usual way, said tension, as will be obviously seen, causing the spring part 0 to contract by the loops or eyes it slipping down toward each other over the 8 5 curved or inclined surface of its supporting and holding part b, and the greater the tension the more firmly will the garment beheld. The loop or eye d not only serves the purpose of a spring, as before described, but also tends v9o to decrease the liability of tearing out or rcnding the part to which the supporter is attached, for the reason that when said. part is drawn down under a strong longitudinal ten sion, as is often the case, its lower edge, en- 5 tering the opening 7c, formed by the loop or eye (I, curls or doubles upon itself, thereby strengthening said edge and preventing damage to the garment being supported. This provision in a great measure obviates quite a serious objection to the present styles of garment-supporters provided with but little, if any, lateral expansion, and having slots for holding the garment converging to a point at the bottom of said slots, which are very liable to tear out or rend said garment under strong tension. By the use of my supporter, cloth or other textile fabric of ordinary strength would be drawn out of the supporter by tension liable to tear it, owing to the provision of the opening 70, before described.

If preferred, instead of employing a single loop or eye, d, as before described, two or more spiral loops may be used, as shown at d in Figs. 4 and 5. Ring 1) may also be made with a straight or flattened side for more.conveniently fastening the elastic to the same, if preferred, without departing from the principle of my invention.

I am aware it is not new to make a garment-supporter with a converging holdingslot,'as before stated, and therefore make no claim, broadly, to that particular feature.

What I do claim as new and of my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

A garment-supporter consisting of the spring part 0, provided with holding loops or eyes, straight and bent parts, and a spring loop or loops, in combination with the ring I), for supporting and holding said spring part c, and by means of which the supporter maybe attached to an elastic band or other, connection, substantially as shown and described.

. THOMAS V. PHELPS.

Witnesses:

DAVID P. BROWN, WALTER B. NOURSE. 

